EELN E-Loan (MM)

For the Second Consecutive Year, an Independent Survey of Consumers Ranks E-LOAN Among World Class Brands such as Proctor & Gamble, the U.S. Postal Service, Apple and eBay PLEASANTON, Calif., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- E-LOAN(R) (NASDAQ:EELN), an online consumer direct lender and longtime advocate of strong consumer financial privacy protections, today announced that for the second consecutive year a national independent study of consumers conducted by TRUSTe and the Ponemon Institute ranked E-LOAN as one of the 20 most trusted companies for privacy in the U.S. Consumers were not given company names to rate; they were asked for the companies they considered noteworthy for their trustworthiness. Alongside world class brands such as Proctor & Gamble, the U.S. Postal Service, Apple and eBay, consumers identified E-LOAN as taking the most care with personal information. E-LOAN was the only online financial services company to make the list. "E-LOAN has been a constant advocate of consumer financial privacy rights, so we were not surprised to see them again among the Most Trusted Companies for Privacy," said Fran Maier, Executive Director and President of TRUSTe. "The survey results show that a respectful brand like E-LOAN can make a name for itself among the Fortune 500 when it comes to privacy." "Data security breaches and fears of identity theft are making consumers more aware than ever of the importance of being able to trust a company before sharing their personal data," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, Chairman of Ponemon Institute. "This is especially true in the financial services sector. E-LOAN's status as a most trusted company is confirmation that the company's mission to adhere to the strongest privacy safeguards possible is being recognized and valued by consumers." "At E-LOAN, respecting consumers' privacy rights is one of our core values," said Mark Lefanowicz, Chief Executive Officer and President of E-LOAN. "So, it's extremely gratifying that consumers continue to recognize E-LOAN for our pro consumer privacy practices and advocacy efforts." TRUSTe, the leading non-profit promoting privacy in digital communications, and the Ponemon Institute, a "think-tank" dedicated to privacy and data protection research, surveyed more than 7,000 adults to collect opinions regarding online companies' privacy practices and history. Respondents cited a wide range of factors as key points to consider in judging the companies' trustworthiness. Factors cited by more than a third of the participants included: -- Overall reputation of the company for product or service quality -- The company's limits over the collection, use and sharing of personal information -- Quality of advertisements and solicitations that are respectful of my privacy requirements and rights -- Sense of security protections when providing personal information -- The privacy policy of the company The top 20 list includes the following companies in descending order: American Express, Amazon, Procter & Gamble,, Hewlett-Packard, eBay, AOL, U.S. Postal Service, Dell, IBM, Earthlink, Google, Charles Schwab, Apple, WebMD, E-LOAN, Washington Mutual, Federal Express, Yahoo!, USAA and Disney. About E-LOAN, Inc. E-LOAN(R) is an online consumer direct lender dedicated to providing borrowers with a simple, easy and open way to obtain mortgage, auto and home equity loans. Since its launch in 1997, E-LOAN has drawn upon its pro consumer values to improve the lending experience in revolutionary ways. By eliminating the traditional incentive structure to charge consumers higher rates, giving consumers free access to credit scores and getting rid of lender fees, E-LOAN is providing a uniquely open, fair and honest loan process. Protecting consumers' financial privacy is also a paramount concern, prompting E-LOAN to implement industry leading privacy practices and advocate strong consumer financial privacy protection laws. From inception through June 2005, E-LOAN has originated and sold over $26.7 billion in consumer loans. E-LOAN is publicly traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol EELN. To find out more about E-LOAN and its products and services, logon to http://www.eloan.com/ or call 1-888-E-LOAN-22. About Ponemon Institute Ponemon Institute is a "think tank" dedicated to advancing responsible information management practices in business and government. To achieve this objective, Ponemon Institute conducts independent research on privacy and information security, educates leaders from the private and public sectors, and verifies the privacy and data protection practices of organizations. The Institute is headquartered in Michigan. For more information, visit http://www.ponemon.org/ or contact 800-887-3118. About TRUSTe TRUSTe, the online privacy leader, is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to enabling individuals and organizations to establish trusting relationships based on respect for personal identity and information in the evolving networked world. Founded in 1997, TRUSTe runs the largest privacy seal program certifying more than 1,400 Web sites throughout the world with support from its sponsors, Microsoft, AOL, DoubleClick and Intuit. TRUSTe also provides standards, certification and oversight into email accreditation with its Email Privacy Seal and the Bonded Sender Program. For more information on TRUSTe please visit http://www.truste.org/. This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. E-LOAN's actual results may differ from the results described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, general conditions in the mortgage and auto industries, interest rate fluctuations, and the impact of competitive products. These and other risk factors are detailed in E-LOAN's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CONTACT: E-LOAN Press Contact: E-LOAN Press/Investor Contact Laurie Azzano Tiffany Fox Cosmo Public Relations E-LOAN, Public/Investor Relations +1-415-786-3317 +1-925-847-6314 DATASOURCE: E-LOAN, Inc. CONTACT: media, Laurie Azzano of Cosmo Public Relations, +1-415-786-3317, or , for E-LOAN; or Public/Investor Relations, Tiffany Fox of E-LOAN, +1-925-847-6314, or Web site: http://www.ponemon.org/ Web site: http://www.truste.org/ Web site: http://www.eloan.com/

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